Overview

• An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,656 U.S. adults (Sept. 26–29, ±3.4%) found Jimmy Kimmel at 44% favorable/41% unfavorable (+3) versus President Trump at 41%/54% (-13), a 16-point net gap.
• Kimmel read and mocked a White House statement from spokesperson Anna Kelly that praised Trump’s electoral support and dismissed the host’s ratings as “Sad!,” turning the poll into a monologue centerpiece.
• After ABC reinstated the show, Kimmel’s comeback episode drew roughly 6.2–6.5 million viewers, then slipped to about 1.9 million with an 85% drop in the 25–54 demo, while YouTube views for his monologues reached into the tens of millions.
• A YouTube executive said Kimmel’s linear spike “paled” next to the platform’s audience, underscoring the shift toward online clips as affiliates restored carriage following brief preemptions by Sinclair and Nexstar.
• Kimmel said at Bloomberg Screentime that his Kirk remarks were “maliciously mischaracterised,” that he rejected demands during the suspension and feared the show was finished, and that he would “love” to host Trump but not FCC Chair Brendan Carr.